Fan Post: Nationals Bobbleheads-The Recent Years

DC Sports Nexus ---- Thursday, June 7, 2012

Each Thursday We Let A Nats Fan Sound Off, Because Quite Frankly, The Fans Know More Than We Do
This Week's Entry Was Written By Nats Fan @Nati2de, runner of Ryan Zimmerman’s Bobblegänger on Facebook
========================Part II:  The Recent Years=======================
(Back To Part I)


We continue the look at the Nationals and how the team's players perform on the night of their bobblehead promotions:

============2010============

Ryan Zimmerman (June 19th, 2010)

The Face had a truly awful performance as he went 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts as the Nats were shutout by Jake Peavy and the White Sox 1-0.  Zim’s -0.219 WPA is the worst ever for a Nationals player on his bobblehead day.

Nats’ record in player bobblehead games: 3-3

Nyjer Morgan (July 31st, 2010)

About a month or so before he completely lost his mind, Nyjer went 1 for 4 with 1 run scored and 1 sacrifice bunt as part of a 7-5 win over the by-then-very-much-hated Phillies.  On the negative side, Tony Flush struck out once and grounded into a double play.  He recorded a -.086 WPA for the game.  

Interestingly, the win came on a walkoff three-run homer by Ryan Zimmerman off Brad Lidge.  Maybe the Nats should consider giving away Nyer Morgan bobbleheads every game.


Nats’ record in player bobblehead games: 4-3

Ivan Rodriguez (August 28th, 2010)

Pudge’s bobblehead was the result of a “Fan’s Choice” online vote.  Rodriguez responded for the fans with a big game going 2 for 4 at the plate with 2 RBI and a run scored.  His +.054 WPA contributed to a 14-5 pasting of Kyle Lohse and the Cardinals.  Uncharacteristically, the Nats went an incredible 8 for 11 with runners in scoring position that day.

Nats’ record in player bobblehead games: 5-3

============2011============

Jayson Werth (July 30, 2011)

Werth, the Nats’ biggest 2011 offseason acquisition had one of his best games of 2011 on his bobblehead night as he went 2 for 3 with a first inning homer that plated all of the Nationals runs in a 3-0 win over the Mets.  His +.256 WPA is the best ever recorded by a Nationals player on his bobblehead night.

Nats’ record in player bobblehead games: 6-3

Ian Desmond (August 20, 2011)

The Nats 3 game win streak in player bobblehead games was snapped by the Phillies in a 5-0 loss.  On his big night, Desmond went 0 for 4 at the plate with 1 strikeout.   He did manage to coax a walk, but also committed a fielding error.  His -.084 WPA was part of an overall “blah” game by the Nats.

Nats’ record in player bobblehead games: 6-4

Danny Espinosa (September 10, 2011)

In the 2011 “Fan’s Choice”, the fans obviously made the wrong choice in selecting Espinosa who had a performance rivaling Zimmerman’s in his 2010 bobblehead game.  Espi went 0 for 4 at the plate with 3 strikeouts in a 9-3 pounding by the 48-96 Astros for a -.071 WPA.

Nats’ record in player bobblehead games: 6-5

============2012============

Stephen Strasburg (April 14, 2012)

The Nats ace did not play in this game as it was not his turn to pitch.  However, Edwin Jackson had a Strasburg-like outing pitching a complete game 2 hitter to pace the Nats to a 4-1 win over the Redlegs.

Nats’ record in player bobblehead games: 7-5

The Rest Of The Year

The two remaining 2012 bobblehead giveaways are scheduled for August 5th (Michael Morse) and September 8th (Ryan Zimmerman).  Here’s to hoping that the third time is the charm for Zimmerman and this bobblehead night turns out better for him than the first two.   

So that was a look at the history of the Washington Nationals and their bobbleheads.  I know that performance is not correlated to bobbleheads but I thought it was a curious thing to explore.  Hope you enjoyed!

1 comment:

  1. It all depends on the point of view. Very beautiful. Thank you.




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